Scott W. Stern, LCSW
Psychotherapist, Addiction Professional
EMPOWERING PSYCHOTHERAPY & CORPORATE COUNSELING
Scott W. Stern, Empowering Psychotherapy
PERSONAL EMPOWERMENT
Diverse professionals recommend Scott's Empowering Psychotherapy. They include physicians, mental health practitioners, pro athletes, politicians, business executives, veterans, authors, journalists, students, performing artists, publishers, architects, attorneys, brokers, research analysts, law enforcement officers, advertising and entertainment industry professionals.
What is Personal Empowerment in Psychotherapy?
Personal Empowerment therapy is the process in which we gain
the knowledge, skill-sets and attitude needed to cope with our changing
world and circumstances. It is a process of transforming
powerlessness and increasing control over our lives.
Personal Empowerment Psychotherapy is a process which enables individuals to gain power, authority and influence over themselves, institutions or society. Empowerment is the totality of the following capabilities:
- Having decision-making power of one's own
- Having access to information and resources to make proper decisions
- Having a range of options from which you can make choices
- Ability to exercise assertiveness in collective decision making
- Having positive thinking regarding the ability to enable change
- Ability to learn skills for improving personal or group power
- Involvement in the self-initiated growth process and subsequent changes of Self-Reconditioning
- Increasing positive self-image and overcoming stigma
- Increasing the ability to identify and follow one's personal morality
In short, empowerment is the process that allows one to gain the knowledge, skill-sets and attitude needed to cope with the changing world and the circumstances in which one lives.
The table below illustrates the rewards many individuals experience from the
integration of Personal Empowerment with psychotherapy and addiction treatment.
What Are the Stages of Personal Empowerment
and Self-Reconditioning?
Pre-contemplation: In this initial stage, individuals may be outwardly unaware of their problems or be in denial. Either way, they definitely do not want to appear broken or damaged. As a general rule, "Pre-contemplators" often wish other people would change, as in: "How can I get my superior to quit bothering me about my poor people skills? That's just who I am." or "Things will change during the next quarter when I get through this especially tough assignment."
Contemplation: Contemplators are aware that they face problems and are seriously thinking about grappling with these problems in some period of time.
Preparation: Individuals and organizations at this stage intend to take action within the next month. These individuals have taken personal responsibility for causing or contributing the need for change. In addition, these individuals have set a personalized measurable goal - a change that is under one's own control, rather than dependent on someone else's behavior.
Action:
In this stage, individuals and organizations are taking concrete steps to change their behavior, experiences, or environment through Self-Reconditioning to master problematic concerns. Because action often brings up feelings of guilt, failure, coercion, and yearning to resume old familiar behaviors, individuals and organizations typically need a lot of support during this period. A sobering statistic: at any given time, only 10-15 percent of individuals or organizations in the process of change are engaged in the action stage.
Maintenance: During this stage, individuals and organizations work to consolidate their gains and prevent relapse. It is important that individuals and organizations remember that all merger experiences are different. Assuming a one-size-fits-all approach will not work! Instead, assess the group as individuals, to determine their stage of change.
Termination: In this stage, individuals who have developed the coping and cognitive skills are prepared to function in life on life's terms. Now personally empowered, these individuals have discovered paths to independence and autonomy.
It is important to recognize that these stages have no definitive order and regression can occur as part of the empowerment process.
Go slowly. Anticipate backsliding. While the term "stages of change" suggests that change marches forward in a step-by-step, linear fashion, it actually occurs in a spiral pattern, meaning change comes in both forward and backward movement. This is not uncommon and to be expected.
Empowering Psychotherapy provides clients with the skills to achieve goals through awareness, discovery, responsible choices and self-determination.
As life change occurs, individuals become capable of working within a supportive and insight-oriented framework. In client surveys, most report that they regard this practice in a very positive light.
The road to empowerment begins at the onset of therapy. Scott encourages clients to discuss their desires and expectations of treatment. He then gauges the client's stage of readiness for change: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance and termination. Effective collaboration commences with understanding the client's willingness, ambivalence and resistance to life changes.
This understanding is essential to cultivate trust, honesty and behavior modification.
As Scott and the client develop a collaborative relationship, they can determine the best course for the therapy to take. This empowering collaboration frequently leads to successful outcomes in treatment.
Patient and therapist develop
a "map" (or strategic plan)
to which they can refer.
This comprehensive plan is
used as a blueprint of diverse
treatment paths and interventions.
Once a course of treatment
has been discussed and agreed
upon, patient and therapist
create a flexible treatment plan
to achieve positive change.
Scott provides clients his guidance and expertise. His methods help them learn to navigate through life's many complexities. This dynamic empowers individuals to reach their objectives with new problem-solving abilities. In this regard, challenges present an opportunity to gain confidence and self-reliance.
The foundation of Empowering Psychotherapy is the therapeutic alliance that is encouraged and developed in treatment. Clients drive the therapy forward by accepting shared responsibility for their progress. This occurs when client and therapist co-create a comprehensive treatment plan. Client-Driven Focused Therapy can then move forward to address identified goals and concerns.
These concerns often include self-attitudes of shame and guilt, addictions and substance use disorders, conflicts, fears, repressed feelings, trauma, post traumatic stress disorder and other matters.
This patient-therapist
collaboration empower
clients to make personal
choices about their own
health and treatment.
It further empowers
individuals to develop the
skills and insights needed
to inspire changes and
to attain their identified goals.
Empowering Psychotherapy provides clients with the skills to achieve goals through awareness, discovery, responsible choices and self-determination.
As life change occurs, individuals become capable of working within a supportive and insight-oriented framework. In client surveys, most report that they regard this practice in a very positive light. Additionally, the majority expressed successful results and recommend Empowering Psychotherapy and Corporate Counseling.
